I'm not sure if this particular question has been asked. I have prescription glasses and was going to cosplay a character whom wears glasses already. Do I still need prescription lenses, or just the proper size as consulted by an optometrist?

Every contact lens is a prescription lens, even if the "power" of the lens is zero. In general, a contact lens prescription contains the following elements:

1)power
2)base curve
3)size
4)lens brand (yes, when you're fit with a lens, you are prescribed that lens only, and it's not interchangeable between brands, e.g. your prescription is for B&L Ultra, you can't use the same parameters to buy an Acuvue Oasys).

But I agree with the poster above, the lenses are going to be barely noticeable when worn underneath a pair of glasses, but if you feel that you need to wear the lenses to get a complete cosplay, then by all means go ahead.

Is there anywhere i can buy gradient lenses? like multicoloured, im looking for contacts that would fit the character of Izumi Sena from Love Stage!! i understand how hard it is for cosplayers to do this character do to his abnormal eye colour, would anyone know where i can purchase something similar?

I want to share with you all a blog post about contact/circle lenses that I recently wrote!
It's a sort of advice and "what not to do" type of post that is aimed mainly for contact lens beginners, but I'm sure that even others would benefit from reading it!

Bottom line: Any contact lenses can damage your eyes. The key is to properly handle and care for them so you don't damage your eyes.

Circle lenses are slightly larger than regular contact lenses but smaller than full-eye sclera lenses. A dark limbal ring, the outer ring around the iris, is on the edge thus making your eyes look larger.

Being that circle lenses are larger than normal lenses, they are not designed to be worn for extended periods of time, like more than 5 hours at a go. The most common problems people have with any contact lenses are improper cleaning/storage, improper fit, and not taking out lenses if they irritate the eyes.

Circle lenses are obviously very popular in Asia. All the people who've worn them haven't gone blind or suffered eye damage so not ALL circle lenses are bad. I'd be most concerned about receiving counterfeit lenses made from sub-par, unsafe materials.

However, a visit to the eye doctor can procure the FDA-approved lenses you mentioned and all the information needed proper wear, care, and handling of circle lenses. Good luck!

I work with CamoEyes.com and I agree with this post %100, all lenses can posses a risk if not cared for or used according to a licensed professional or the instructions that should come with any lenses...

Wow, what a jerk!! I probably would've tried switching eye doctors immediately o_o
Mine was at least not so bad as that, they had samples of colored and costume contacts from some brands like Freshlook etc. Only problem was they would only let me order them in large supply (I'm not about to drop like $300 for a bunch of contacts when I only need a single box (heck yeah same prescription both eyes!)). I was only able to get the amount I needed after I told them I was going to order from 1-800-contacts, and they somehow changed their mind and let me order just one box for a cheaper price than 1-800-contacts had them listed. Thanks for the list, really awesome resource! Hopefully that will help on my future contact orders

Firstly that is absurd your doctor said this!

Secondly you are correct, the vendor is not usually the thing which is FDA approved but the product/brand of product itself.

Everything from the lens material, all the way to the packaging itself, even the text on the cardboard packaging is what gets FDA Approved.

When a company suggest They are FDA approved, this is only to make things easier to understand because to the regular person knowing this detail about the FDA process and specifics is not necessary and is confusing, so a vendor such as the one I work for we simply state that "We" are FDA approved for simplicity.

A lack of American FDA approval does NOT mean dangerous. The lenses sold by pinkyparadise are approved by the Korean FDA which is almost identical, and Geo lenses are FDA approved. The lack of FDA approval is that the USFDA considers contacts to be strictly medical devices and requires doctor's prescription to legally buy them (though of course that's flouted all the time...). East Asian countries where they're popular don't have that same consideration and lenses can be bought by anyone and sold by anyone (and the "absolutely inexperienced wearer trying to wear contacts and being clueless about their care safety" is where problems happen). You have a prescription and a base curve and know how to take care of lenses; you should be fine wearing them. They're not intended to replace everyday contacts, though, as a warning. I wear almost only my circle lenses when I wear contacts outside of cosplay (not that often. A couple times a month on average) and they're WAY comfier than my "normal" ones. I just buy ones that have a "normal" sized diameter so they don't look freaky if I want to wear them for non-cosplay fun. I've had way more problems with FDA-approved optometrist-ordered lenses than I have my circle lenses.

You are correct. The safety of these products are not Black & White and even non FDA Approved companies from Asia may provide a quality, safe product. Sadly there are many companies who are not very concerned with it, and determining who they are is not that easy.

Every contact lens is a prescription lens, even if the "power" of the lens is zero. In general, a contact lens prescription contains the following elements:

1)power
2)base curve
3)size
4)lens brand (yes, when you're fit with a lens, you are prescribed that lens only, and it's not interchangeable between brands, e.g. your prescription is for B&L Ultra, you can't use the same parameters to buy an Acuvue Oasys).

If you're getting a prescription, it's so you can see better. Diameter and curve are mostly about fit, so the contacts stay on. When you buy glasses there's no frame size in the script you get after the exam, because you can just pick out the ones that fit your face the best. You obviously can't do that with a contact in the same subjective way. That's why the sizing is included in your script, so your provider can sell you the boxes with your mag that will fit.

With all due respect, if we live in a world where (outside of the whole FDA discussion) I apparently need one script for regular contacts and one for my pinky sets, because the rights to my mag, diameter and curve were somehow sold off to dailies or acuvue or whatever company I get my stuff from, I'd rather just start looking for that trippy rabbit hole I read about as a kid.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShinobiXikyu

A lack of American FDA approval does NOT mean dangerous.

100% agree.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShinobiXikyu

The lenses sold by pinkyparadise are approved by the Korean FDA which is almost identical

...What you talkin' about, Willis?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShinobiXikyu

The lack of FDA approval is that the USFDA considers contacts to be strictly medical devices and requires doctor's prescription to legally buy them (though of course that's flouted all the time...).

Dude, you realize that's like, a BIG difference...Pinky Paradise will send contacts to anyone; they're literally just one click away.

I recently ordered circle lenses from candylens. The site looked legit and I read good reviews and saw that they were FDA approved, so I purchased the EOS King Size Circle Green: https://www.candylens.com/eos-king-s...cle-green.html They arrived today, but there was no GEO sticker, which I've been told is necessary to prove that they're safe. Do you know if that applies to all circle lenses? And if not, how do I know they will be safe?

GEO and EOS are completely different brands (GEO being one of the few that got USFDA approval. EOS doesn't but is still approved by the Korean equivalent to the FDA, which also has high first-world standards). But don't worry, EOS brand is still very good and perfectly safe, I've owned many pairs of their lenses.

There's a vibe here that says "We're in this together!Through thick and thin fabric! Through cold water washes and burning hot irons! Though we might super glue ourselves to our projects, cut holes/gashes/oh-god-mom's-gonna-kill-me into the dining room table, we will stand strong together. Unless there is a 75% off sale at the Fabric store. Then you're on your own. And get the hell out of my way."<3